Automatic switch-indicator.



PATENTED OCT. 23, 1906.

E. I. COFPIN.

AUTOMATIC SWITCH INDICATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 18. 1905.

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' No.833. 776- A PATENTBD'0GT.28,1906.

E. F. GOFIIN.

AUTOMATIC SWITCH INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED 1330.18. 1905.

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No. 833,776. PATENTED 001?. 23, 1906. E. P. GOEPIN. AUTOMATICSWITOHINDIGATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEG-18. 1906.

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LII

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD F. COFFIN, OF COLUMBUS, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FIFTH TO CAREYSHAW AND ONE-FIFTH TO SAMUEL GREEN, OF COLUM- BUS, TEXAS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 23, 1906.

Application filed December 18, 1905. Serial No. 292,224.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD F. OOFFIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at C0- lumbus, in the county of Colorado, State of Texas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticSwitch-Indicators; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic switch-indicators, andhas for its object the pro vision of means for preventing accidentsresulting from misplaced switches, due to the carelessness of therailroad employees or the inability of the engineer to see the customarytrack-signals, by providing a device which will automatically indicateby the ringing of a bell in the cab of a locomoti ve or other vehiclewhen a switch is open in due time to allow the engineer to stop thetrain in approaching a switch on the main line or after entering orleaving a siding. It will thus be seen that it w1ll be impossible for atrain to enter or leave a siding and leave the giwciltch open withoutthe engineer being noti- It also has for its object to provide anindicator which is exceedingly simple and durable in construction, cheapto install and maintain, practical, and easy, positive, and

reliable in operation.

The invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangementof the several parts, as more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 1s a diagrammatic view of a switchwith my invention applied thereto, showing the contact device, bebattery, &c., designed to be mounted on a locomotive and the connectingcircuit-wires; Fig. 2, a top plan view, partly in section, of theswitch-contacts; Fig. 3, a top plan view of the contact-shoe to be usedon a locomotive; Fig. 4, a side view of the contact-shoe; Fig. 5, an endview of a contact-shoe having a modified form of contactsprings, andFig. 6 a detail section of one of the sleeves and plugs of the contactsof the switch.

In the drawings, in which like numerals of reference denote like partsthroughout the several views, 1 and 2 represent the rails of a maintrack; 3 and 4:, the usual points of a switch-rail for connecting themain track with a siding. v

' The stationary members of the switch-contact comprise a casing 5,secured to the under side of the base of one of the rails of the maintrack by bolts or otherwise and having a hole 6 therein. In thisinstance the casing is shown as secured to the rail 1 of the main track,and mounted in said casing is a rod 7, provided with a head 8, having ahole 9 and a screw-threaded shank 10, which passes loosely through thehole 6 of the casing and has nuts 11 11 adjustable thereon. Aplate prisetwo plugs 18 and 19, of insulating material, mounted on and projectinglaterally from a block 20, secured to the under side of the base of thepoint of the switch-rail 3, said plugs being provided with grooves 21,in which are seated springs 22, connected by a vwire 19 and designed tocontact with the inner surface of the sleeves when said plugs areforced, therein by the movement of the switch-point.

The extreme ends of the plugs 18 and 19 are normally seated in thesleeves 14 and 15, respectively, with the springs 22 out of contact withthe sleeves, so that no electrical circuit will be established until theplugs are pushed inward and the springs contact with said sleeves. 23and 24. are contact-plates, the ends of which curve outwardly at frontand rear, as shown at 25, said plates being secured to the ties outsideof the tracks and at a sufficient distance from the switch to enable thetrain to be stopped after the signal is pilot of a locomotive or anyother convenient place and which of course must be in line with the saidplates, so that it will engage and passbetween the same.

27 and 28 are wires connecting the sleeves 14 and 15 with thecontact-plates 23 and 24, respectively.

The contact-shoe 26, above referred to, consists of a double-pointedblock havin curved leaf contact-springs 29 and 30 secured to the sidesthereof by screws 31, said shoe being reciprocally mounted on a verticalrod 32, attached to the locomotive and normally held in its lowerposition by a spiral spring 33, located on said rod.

34 represents elongated slots in the ends of springs 29 and 30, and 35represents pins mounted on the sides of the contact-shoe and engagingsaid slots, by means of which the springs are prevented from movingsidewise, but are free to move lengthwise.

A bell 36 and battery 37 are mounted in the cab of the locomotive andconnected by a wire 38, the battery being connected to the spring 29 bya wire 39 and the bell being connected to the spring 30 by means of awire 40.

The object of having the plate 12 capable of being laterally adjusted bymeans of the screw-nuts 11 11 is to provide for rails of differentweight and width, and the object of pivoting the plate 12 on the head ofthe rod 7, by means of the pin 13, is to allow" said plate toautomatically adjust itself so that the sleeves 14 and 15 thereon willalways be in alinement with the plugs 18 and 19-, no mat ter whatposition the switch-rail occupies.

A modified form of the contact-springs 29 and 30 is shown in Fig. 5, inwhich the ends of the springs are made curved in cross-section for thepurpose of assisting in holding the contact-plates in engagementtherewith.

In operation, the switch being open and the springs22 of the plugs 18and 19 in electrical contact with the sleeves 14 and 15, when the shoe26, which is in electrical connection with the bell and battery by meansof the wires 38, 39-, and 40, enters between the contact-plates 23 and24 it closes and completes the circuit between the switch and the belland rings the bell in the cab of the locomotive, and thereby notifiesthe engineer that the switch he is ap preaching is open and enables himto stop the train before reaching the switch and close the same.

If the bell does not ring on approaching a switch, all the connectionsbeing in order, the engineer knows that the switch is closed and set andlocked for the main track, and he can proceed without danger.

The wires 27 and 28 will be suitably incased and insulated and placedunderground or otherwise, and the switch-contacts will be covered orincased by any suitable moisture and rain proof material to protect thesame from becoming short-circuited.

Any or all the parts of my invention can easily be removed and examinedand new parts substituted, if found necessary, without requiring theservices of a skilled mechanic or electrical expert.

I do not wish to be limited to the precise form and details ofconstruction, as the same may be changed somewhat without departing fromthe spirit of my invention.

What I claim is 1. A switch-indicator comprising a circuit-closingdevice, a battery, a sounding apparatus and a shoe in circuit, contactsadjacent the rails of a track, a contact device at the switch one partprovided with plugs having springs, a wire connecting said springs, andthe other part of said contact provided with adjustable sleeves, andwires connecting each of said sleeves with one of the contacts adjacentthe rails, substantially as described.

2. A switch-indicator comprising a circuit-closing device, a battery, asounding apparatus and a shoe in circuit, contacts adj acent the railsof a track designed to be engaged and make electrical connection withthe shoe, a contact device at the switch one part provided with plugshaving springs connected by a wire, and the other part provided withpivoted sleeves, and wires connecting each of said sleeves with one ofthe contacts adjacent the rails, substantially as described.

3. A switch-indicator comprising a contact device at the switch one partprovided with plugs and the other part provided with selfadjustingsleeves, substantially as described.

4. A switch-indicator comprising a contact device at the switch one partprovided with plugs and the other part provided with sleeves mounted ona pivoted plate for the purpose of keeping the plugs and sleeves inalinement irrespective of the position of the switch-point,substantially as described.

5. A switch-indicator comprising a con tact device at the switch onepart provided with plugs and the other part provided with self-adjustingsleeves, designed to receive said plugs, substantially as described.

6. A switch-indicator comprising a contact device at the switch one partprovided with self-adjusting pivoted sleeves and the other part providedwith means for engaging said sleeves, substantially as described.

7. A switch-indicator comprising an electrical contact device at theswitch one part attached to one of therails of the main track andcomprising an adjustable rod provided with a pivoted plate havingsleeves thereon, and the other part attached to the switchpoint andcomprising plugs provided with contact-springs, designed to makeelectrical: contact with said sleeves when the switchpoint is thrown toits open position, substantially as described.

8. A switch-indicator comprising an electrical contact device at theswitch one part of which is pivoted and self-adjusting, substantially asdescribed.

9. A switch-indicator comprising an electrical contact device at theswitch one part carried by a pivoted plate whereby it is adjustedautomatically and kept in alinement with the other part, substantiallyas described.

10. A switch-indicator comprising a contact-shoe on a moving vehicle incircuit with a battery and sounding apparatus, said contact-shoe beingprovided with springs on its opposite sides connected to said circuit,contact-plates adjacent the rails with which said shoe is designed tomake electrical contact, and a contact device at the switch connected tosaid plates whereby when the shoe contacts with the plates adjacent therails and the switch is open the sounding apparatus on described.

11. A switch-indicator comprising a contact device at the switch onepart provided with plugs having springs and the other part provided withself-adjusting sleeves designed to receive said plugs and contact withsaid springs, substantially as described.

12. A switch-indicator comprising a con-- tact device at the switch onepart provided with plugs having springs and the other part provided withsleeves mounted on a selfadjusting plate, said plate being pivoted on arod, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature 3 5 in presence of twowitnesses.

EDWARD F. COFFIN.

Witnesses:

S. H. SIMPsoN, W. S. MILLER.

